Congressman McHenry requests a hearing on 'czars' responsibility

Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry requests that all Obama-appointed 'czars' testify before Congress on their roles and responsibilities in a further challenge to Obama in the wake of the Van Jones resignation.

The controversy surrounding President Obama's "czars" took another turn on Thursday, following on the heels of Congressman Pence's request for background checks on all Obama "czar" appointees. In a letter submitted to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry requested all "czars" testify before Congress on their roles and responsibilities. “Each of the two possible scenarios here is troubling. If the czars have high-level, decision-making authority as their titles would indicate, then it is my concern that their appointment without Senate approval represents a circumvention of our Constitutionally-mandated confirmation process. On the other hand, if the czars have no actual power, then I am equally concerned that taxpayers are fronting the bill for the salaries of these figureheads and their staff,” Congressman McHenry wrote. With the resignation of "green jobs czar" Van Jones following the "truther" connection, President Obama has come under increased scrutiny to explain the existence of the "czars" in White House affairs. While McHenry has requested that all czars testify, the actual number of known czars remains in contention. McHenry insists the czar number stands at 44, and his team is sourcing the Free Republic. “We’re using a variety of sources and finding everyone who has been referred to as a ‘czar,’” Brock McCleary, spokesperson for Patrick McHenry, told The Washington Independent. “It would be appropriate for the White House to release a formal list.”